Whether religion and superstition are the same thing or are different is both a theoretical and a practical issue. Correctly distinguishing the boundaries between religion and superstition is crucial for us to adhere to the Marxist view of religion and fully and correctly implement the policy of freedom of religious belief.
In order to understand all things, we must pay attention to the similarities between it and various other forms of motion. However, what is particularly important, and what becomes the basis for our understanding of things, is that we must pay attention to its special characteristics. Point, that is, pay attention to the qualitative difference between it and the movement form of other things. Only by paying attention to this point can it be possible to distinguish things. "["Selected Works of Mao Zedong", Volume 1, Page 283]. We must not only understand the similarities between religion and superstition, but more importantly, understand their special features. Only in this way can we clearly distinguish what is religion and what is superstition.
Religion and superstition both use theistic concepts as their ideological basis. Belief in and worship of gods or supernatural powers is their biggest similarity. The early primitive religions in the history of religious development were "polytheism" or "fetishism", which were amorphous and immature religions. For example, some had no religious doctrines, no religious organizations, and even no religious names. The content of this primitive religion:
First, people have theistic concepts in their minds, which is a condition for the emergence of religion;
Second, people have a deep understanding of "personalized gods and gods" The idols representing them "have held sacrificial rituals to pray for the gods of natural creatures to bless and eliminate disasters;
Third, there are people who preside over sacrificial rituals in society. Initially, they were held concurrently by clan chiefs, and later there were Dedicated staff.
In the entire primitive society, the boundaries between religion and superstition are difficult to distinguish, resulting in a state of coexistence of religion and superstition. Only after humans entered class society did stereotyped, complete, and systematic religions emerge, such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, and so on. From then on, superstitious activities characterized by witchcraft and exorcism of ghosts gradually separated from religion and formed a vulgar superstition of ghosts and gods. In the history of our country, some superstitions about ghosts and gods existed as early as slave society, but most of them originated in feudal society. Therefore, this kind of superstition about ghosts and gods is generally called feudal superstition.
There is a clear difference between religion and feudal superstition. Religion is a specific form of ideological belief and a world view, which is nothing more than "a reflection of the fantasies in people's minds of the external forces that dominate people's daily lives. In this reflection, the human forces take on a more human form." The form of power? 〖ZW (〗 "Selected Works of Marx and Engels" Volume 3, Page 354〖ZW)〗 Religion is also a certain form of cultural phenomenon, whether in sociological fields such as philosophy, literature, art, ethics, or medicine. , chemistry, astronomy, life science and other natural science fields, they have left a rich cultural heritage.
In history, religion has become an important part of cultural exchanges among people around the world. A social entity composed of people with the same ideological beliefs, that is, a social entity composed of religious rituals and religious organizations that are compatible with religious beliefs and religious feelings. For normal religious beliefs and religious activities, as long as they are well guided. It is conducive to the stability of society and the unity of the nation. Feudal superstition is derived from the concept of theism, but it is not a religion.
In our country, feudal superstition mainly refers to the use of feudalism by magicians, witches and superstitious professionals. The witchcraft left over from society involves activities such as pretending to be gods and ghosts, deceiving people with monstrous words, and defrauding people of money, such as inviting gods to descend, exorcise ghosts and cure diseases, fortune-telling, fortune-telling, feng shui, and other feudal superstitious activities. , which has the effect of destroying social order, disturbing people's hearts, and damaging people's health. In addition, there are not many people in our country who truly believe in religion, but there are many who believe in ghosts, gods, and destiny. They sometimes burn incense and kowtow to pray for God's blessing. We regard religion and superstition as the same thing, and we will inevitably regard everyone who believes in ghosts, gods and destiny as "religious believers". This is not only absurd in theory, but also harmful in practice.
< p> Our party and country have always had clear policy boundaries when it comes to treating religious beliefs, feudal superstitious activities, and general superstitious activities. For major religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity, we implement policies to protect freedom of religious belief. Normal religious beliefs and activities.All reactionary sects, holy men, and witches that have been banned will not be allowed to resume their activities. Anyone who confuses the public with evil words, defrauds money and harms others will be strictly banned and brought to justice. Article 99 of my country's Criminal Law stipulates: "Whoever organizes and uses feudal superstitions or guilds to carry out counter-revolutionary activities shall be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years; if the circumstances are less serious, he shall be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years, criminal detention, public surveillance or deprivation of political rights." Article 165 Article stipulates: "Whoever uses superstition to spread rumors or defraud property shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years, criminal detention or surveillance; if the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than two years but not more than seven years." In addition, for those who use fortune telling, Superstitious professionals who make a living by fortune-telling, feng shui, etc. should mainly educate, advise and help them work to earn a living and support themselves, and stop engaging in such activities that use superstition to deceive people. If they do not comply, they should also be banned according to law. Regarding the general superstitious activities of the masses, we can only adopt the method of educational guidance to improve their ideological awareness and get rid of superstitious concepts by popularizing scientific and cultural knowledge.
Currently, there are issues that deserve attention in some places. One is the resurgence of witches and witches who have been banned for a long time, and superstitious professionals are also returning to their old professions, which has led to the rise of feudal superstitious activities. A small number of grassroots cadres do not know what normal religious beliefs are and what are feudal superstitious activities, and some even support or participate in feudal superstitious activities. The other is that some people not only have low levels of motivation to believe in religion, but also have poor religious awareness. They only know the rules but not the teachings, and they have a certain degree of blindness. Therefore, confusing religious beliefs with superstitions about ghosts and gods also encouraged feudal superstitious activities.
Why do human beings have religious beliefs regardless of race, ethnicity, region, historical stage, or level of social development? This is a complex question, but there is no doubt that religious belief can be seen as a universal characteristic of all human beings. Faith is an instinctive talent of human beings. It is the overall transcendent consciousness of human beings about the destiny and history of the universe, heaven and earth. It is the highest form of consciousness that governs all other forms of consciousness. It is human beings’ reflection on the integrity of their own existence.
“The essence of religion is neither thinking nor action, but perception and emotion. It hopes to intuitively understand the universe, listen attentively to the manifestations and activities of the universe itself, and longs for child-like passivity to be directly affected by the universe. Grasped and enriched."
Schleiermacher, the founder of the theory of religious emotions, explained the essence of religion this way. Indeed, in primitive societies where the intelligence of primitive human beings was very underdeveloped, human beings felt more and more confused about the movement of the sun, moon and stars, the change of day and night, and the existence of their own lives. They had a huge fear of death and a fear of the Lord. The unfathomable great supernatural and super-social force behind the natural force of human destiny and social force suddenly gave rise to an irresistible feeling of worship. He "looked up" to this great power with a pious attitude, developed a sense of trust and reliance on it, and hoped to use his infinite ultimate power to solve the fear and confusion in his heart. Human beings continue to try their best to describe and express this ultimate infinite power. At different stages of the development of human thinking ability and language expression ability, and in different regions with different living environments, this ultimate infinite image, The expressions of nature are different, and the religious classic systems, religious rituals, rules and regulations formed are also different, that is, the external carriers and expression methods of religious emotions are very different.
In primitive society, due to the very low thinking ability and language expression ability of human brains, humans associate with insects, snakes, birds and beasts to materialize this supernatural and mysterious power, so various ethnic groups have various kinds of things. Animals or trees are the objects of different totem worship, and a series of cumbersome customs and etiquette have been formed. At this time, witchcraft also emerged as the times require. Witchcraft is the communication between people and this mysterious infinite power. When there are major events in primitive Chinese society, they will use divination and other methods to ask "Heaven" for instructions, hoping to get God's help. Enlightenment so that you can follow nature when making important decisions. There are many stories of prophets in the Bible. They accepted God's revelations and then expressed and taught them to people, so that people's actions could conform to God's will - that is, absolute piety to God and "love of one's neighbor." wait. In the expression of this ultimate infinity, each nation is affected by its cultural development, regional environment, and thinking and language ability. Therefore, the ways in which the ultimate infinity of each nation is presented are different. In ancient Greece, there were many gods headed by Zeus; in Hebrew culture, one must absolutely obey the instructions of Jehovah; in ancient China, the ultimate infinity was "heaven".
Heaven is not a personal infinite power, but he is undoubtedly the same as the God in the West. With its powerful and mysterious power that is awe-inspiring and awe-inspiring, it arouses complex emotions such as gratitude, terror, and worship in people's hearts. From the monarch to the people, if they do something that violates benevolence and righteousness, God will punish them. Chinese people always strive to do things according to nature and do the right thing for heaven.
With the continuous development of human thinking ability, production experience, knowledge system and self-awareness, the system of religious belief is also constantly improved. The founders of religions add the moral standards of real society to the teachings in order to Teach believers to behave according to moral standards. As people's rational abilities continue to improve, defenders of religion have provided endless proofs for the ultimate entity of God, and the disputes surrounding faith and reason have been endless. There are also people who question the existence of God and continue to engage in debates about God with the defenders of religion. Even within the same religion, the conflicts between orthodoxy and heresy surrounding the different ways of proving God are even more intense. Since faith originates from human beings' fear of supernatural forces and confusion about the power to control their own destiny, and since faith comes from feelings and emotions, why should human beings' imperfect rationality be used to prove the existence of this ultimate entity? Faith and reason are concepts on two different levels, why do they have to be considered together? Human beings always use today's achievements to deny and ridicule yesterday's ignorance. Our understanding of God is in constant development and is full of people's prejudices and naivety. Poor God!
God is in my heart and does not need outsiders’ proof to confirm His existence.
Why can’t everything be restored to its original state? Why not experience the existence of God from the most primitive feelings, experiences, and emotions? The Bible (Old Testament) is a record of certain private religious emotions by the prophets during the long-term struggle between the Hebrew nation and the surrounding nations, unifying loyalty to Jehovah and loyalty to the Hebrew nation. Rise up so that the Hebrew nation can unite as one and overcome difficulties in all times. The Bible is the spiritual food of the entire Western nation. God is in everyone's heart. Only when you truly feel the existence of God can you have a strong belief in Christianity. The Bible and missionaries are only catalysts for the belief in God in people's hearts, and their purpose is only to stimulate religious emotions in people's hearts.
“For me, God is more real than any thought, thing or person. I feel His presence clearly. I feel that He is there in the bright sunshine, in the drizzle, During my prayers and hymns, I spoke to him as to a friend, and our conversations were filled with joy. He answered me again and again, often with such clarity that my ears seemed to carry his voice. ; Generally speaking, his words leave a deep impression on my heart."
"God surrounds me like the air of nature, and He is closer to me than my breath. Near. In fact, I live, move, and exist in God.
Sometimes I seem to be standing in His presence and talking to Him. Sometimes those answers come in direct form. An overwhelming revelation of his presence and power.
I feel a presence, powerful and yet comfortable, hovering over my head, sometimes with force. His arms embraced me."
For these personal emotional experiences, some people may ask, how real are they? Even if it is true, some people use modern psychological results to analyze it and say that these are just human psychological reflections. In fact, it is difficult for a person without religious beliefs to understand the personal feelings of people who truly believe. Opponents of the theory of religious emotion argue that defining the essence of religion as the personal experience of individual believers is not universal, and that religious emotion is just a mysterious feeling that is difficult to grasp.
Article 36 of my country’s Constitution stipulates: “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China have freedom of religious belief.” Article 251 of my country's "Criminal Law" stipulates: "State functionaries illegally deprive citizens of their freedom of religious belief... If the circumstances are serious, they shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than two years or criminal detention." Respecting citizens' rights to religious belief and protecting normal religious activities is our country's The consistent policy of the party and the government. As for feudal superstitious activities, our country's consistent policy is to resolutely ban them in accordance with the law. Crack down on all feudal superstitions that endanger national interests and the safety of people's lives and property.
Article 300 of my country’s Criminal Law stipulates: “Whoever organizes and utilizes sects or uses superstition to undermine the implementation of national laws and administrative regulations shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years; if the circumstances are particularly serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than seven years.” Feudal superstitious activities are not protected by national laws.
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International Christianity is Old Christianity (Catholicism in China), and Protestantism (Catholicism in China) Christianity in China), the collective name for Orthodox Christianity.
The internationally known Christianity is the Catholic Church in China.
The internationally known Christianity is the Christianity in China.
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In 1517 AD, Father Martin Luther of the Augustinian Catholic Church "established a separate branch" and separated from the Roman Catholic Church. From then on, the Catholic Church was once called "Protester", "Protestant", and "Apostate". It was not until Vatican II that it gradually changed this name and called it the Fraternal Church of Congregation, that is, the Christian Church. Protestantism or Protestantism (called Christianity in China).
Internationally, the Catholic Church is called "Christianity" and the emerging churches are called "Protestantism and Protestantism". However, China calls the emerging churches "Christianity". As a result, there are many Chinese Protestants whose history is unknown. Both believers and Chinese laypeople mistakenly believe that Catholicism split from Christianity: first came Protestantism (called Christianity in China), and then came Catholicism. As everyone knows, Catholicism is Roman Catholicism, founded by Jesus Christ himself. It is based on faith in Jesus Christ. Its predecessor is Judaism, so it inherits Judaism’s concept of monotheism and the Old Testament. What China calls Christianity is what is known internationally as Protestantism. It was a church that split from the Roman Catholic Church, which is known internationally as Christianity, in 1517 after the birth of Jesus.
The Christianity known before 1517 AD was not Protestantism, but Roman Catholicism. Because the Protestant Christianity (what China calls Christianity) founded by Father Martin Luther has not yet been born.
The Christianity known after 1517 AD is not Catholicism, but Protestantism (what China calls Christianity). Because the Protestant Church founded by Father Martin Luther had been born.
What Vatican II calls Christianity does not specifically refer to Protestant Christianity, but to all churches that believe in Jesus Christ.
We should note that when reading books written by non-church people, published by non-church people, or books translated from foreign churches, we must distinguish the chronology and do not refer to Protestantism (called Christianity in China). ) is confused with Catholicism.
What is the core of Catholic faith?
The object of our faith is the Messiah that Israel is looking forward to, and his name is Jesus. We regard worshiping Jesus as the Lord Christ as the core of our faith. In today's church, there are still a large number of Christians who still go their own way and ignore the teachings of Vatican II. They often shift the core of their faith, or more or less make people in society or the church feel that their faith has become It’s not about faith, it’s about worshiping the Virgin Mary and worshiping yourself. This is a serious phenomenon in the church, a heavy blow to evangelization and a great humiliation to the Lord who was crucified. There are only five reasons why people feel that "faith is wrong": first, the guidance of previous missionaries was wrong; second, today's missionaries have not corrected the trend of "misbelief"; third, the missionaries' voices are regarded as Turn a deaf ear; fourth, do not truly understand what faith is? Fifth, the misguidance of certain individual churches that have separated from the Catholic Church.
Faith, first of all, is not the understanding of certain specific doctrines, but the self-presentation of God the Father, the personal encounter with God and the conversion to Him. Faith is not a rudimentary, partial, or vague form of knowledge, but pure knowledge. Faith is not the acceptance of a set of ideas or doctrines about God, but a moral response, absolute trust in His promises, adherence to His words, expectation of His help, and belief in the incarnate Son of God - God in the person of Jesus Christ. Mighty. Faith is a call to conversion to God, and the most radical conversion is to turn completely to God and His Kingdom. This faith is the acceptance of the gospel of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, professed by Jesus himself. It is still not a dogmatic belief in certain doctrines, but a complete trust in the word of God, Jesus, to accept his call, to make a lifelong decision to follow him without regrets, to accept baptism, and to enter the journey of life. Door, die and live with Christ, enjoy His promise of salvation, practice the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and live out the love of Christ.
Through the understanding of faith, can we who follow the Lord Jesus Christ wake up to "what are we really looking for?" Under the teachings of the church, we accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit and become children of God. Our goal is to pursue eternal life in the Lord Christ. However, should the church today in the wake of Vatican II reflect and reflect on what the Christians in their own arms really want to see? ! Are you looking at the Lord Jesus and eternal life? Or do you look at the corruptible life and yourself in this world? Yes, Christians come to see the Lord Jesus, but those Christians who use the Lord Christ to “sneak in” worship themselves.
When God promulgated the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4-5), he told people not to worship idols or make images. However, in Exodus 25:10-22, God asked Moses to make two statues on the ark of the covenant. an image of the angel Cherubim, and He commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent image and hang it on a pole for people to look up to. It can be seen that God does not prohibit people from making images at all, but prohibits people from using that image as an object of worship: God.
In the old concept, people thought that after making a statue of a certain god, that god would only be in the statue. Therefore, they believe that as long as they worship this statue, they can control this god, just like a god like Aladdin's magic lamp who can listen to and be manipulated by others. God asked people not to make statues of Him, in order to tell people that "He is not like a god like Aladdin's magic lamp," a god controlled by people and sent by people. On the contrary, He is the supreme, free, uncontrolled, and loving Lord of heaven and earth; in addition, God is also telling people that "He is not a natural god: the god of thunder, the god of rain, the god of wind, the god of electricity, the god of mountains, or other "like the gods", but beyond nature, and nothing in the world he created can fully represent him.
Catholic worship of the Virgin Mary and saints is far less than the worship of God. Catholics worship Mary, but they never worship Mary as God. They also know very well that only the Trinity is God, and Mary is just a human being! The Mass celebrated every day in the Catholic Church is a great ceremony to express admiration and worship to God. If a Catholic deliberately fails to attend Sunday Mass without justifiable reasons, it is contrary to the teachings of God's Ten Commandments. Worship of the Blessed Mother is only a "zealous work", and even if there is no valid reason for not participating, it is not a sin.
Article 66 of Vatican II’s Constitution on the Church declares that “Mary, as the Mother of God, participates in the mystery of Christ and is elevated only below the Son by God’s grace. , higher than all gods and humans, so she deserves special reverence from the church; the people of God’s devotion to Mary has made amazing progress in respect, love, calling, and imitation, just as she said: From now on for all eternity All generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:48). Although this worship that always exists in the Church has unique characteristics, it still has the essence of adoration for the incarnate Word, the Father and the Holy Spirit. "
Article 53 of the "Church Constitution" indicates that the weak Mary is a descendant of Adam and needs to be redeemed by Christ: because of God's salvation and help, she can When one reaches the level of a saint, the power, glory, grace, and holy way of God are more and more manifest. Therefore, the Church approves the worship of the Blessed Mother.
Article 66 of Vatican II’s Church Constitution declares that “its purpose is to teach people, in worshiping the Blessed Virgin, to know, love and glorify Christ and to obey his commandments, for everything is for Him And exists (Col. 1:15-16).”
Article 67 of Vatican II's "Ecclesiastical Constitution" declares that "the significance of preaching and worshiping the Blessed Virgin Mary": in addition to enabling people to "realize the outstanding dignity of the Mother of God", it also encourages people to "respect and love with filial piety" Our Mother, imitate her example. "Catholic homage in front of the image of Our Lady is not an act of idolatry, and Our Lady is not an idol. Catholicism has never and will never replace God with Our Lady.
When people worship with "respectful respect" through any visible image (saint, angel, Virgin), it is intended to pay homage to the person depicted in the image, and it is not a form of worship ("Catholic Catechism No. 2131-2132#). When we worship the image of Jesus (God), we do not worship the object, but pay infinite adoration to the essence that the image represents: God. The Church does not worship the Blessed Mother, but loves her as a child. The church has never worshiped the Blessed Mother, and has never regarded the Blessed Mother as the source of salvation itself. She could only accept the highest homage, and only God was worthy of worship. Therefore, the church is not a church that worships Our Lady.
On the contrary, this act of worship can activate the faith of God’s people on the journey, thank the Lord for his saving grace, and be filled with the hope of salvation: How could such a humble person be saved if it were not for the redemptive work of the cross of the Lord Jesus?
The birth of Catholicism and Protestantism (called Christianity in China)
Catholicism was born out of Judaism
In 1003 BC, David Led the 12 tribes of Israel to establish a unified northern and southern Jewish federal kingdom in Jerusalem. After a brief period of glory, the unified federal kingdom soon fell apart and declined. In 722 BC, Northern Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian king Sargon. In 598 BC and 587 BC, 3,023 high-class Judahs and more than 800 middle-class Judahs in southern Judah were exiled to Babylon respectively. In 587 BC, southern Judah was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nabuchaeus II. The Palestinian area where Israelis have lived for generations became a colony of the Persian Empire, the Egyptian Empire, the Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire that emerged successively. The Roman Empire destroyed Israel in the apostolic era after the death of Jesus, that is, during the Jewish War of 70-72 AD. From then on, the Israelites were scattered around the world, and the State of Israel was not established until 1948 AD.
After a long period of imperial colonial life, the Jews looked forward day and night to the Messiah, the savior promised to them by God, to save them from the hands of their oppressors. Around 8 to 2 BC, Messiah chose a Jewish girl, Mary, to be his mother, and she was born in the land of Judea-Palestine: Bethlehem (Belehem) at the southern end of Jerusalem. His mother wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a stable (also called a manger). Angels were singing: “Glory to God in heaven, and peace to those whom the Lord loves on earth” (Luke 2:1-20 ).” After he accepted the worship of the Magi (who were foreigners), his mother fled with him to Egypt and lived there until the death of King Herod, who persecuted him, and then returned from Egypt (Malachi 2:7 -twenty two). His name is Jesus. When he was twelve years old, he listened to the scribes preaching in the Temple of Jerusalem, the political, economic, religious, and cultural center of the time, and asked them questions (Luke 2:39-46). He grew up in seclusion in the small town of Nazareth in the province of Galilee. He did not leave this place until he was about 30 years old (Luke 3:23) and went to Galilee to preach the good news of the kingdom of heaven (Mark 1:14-15). Therefore, he was called a Galilean and a Nazarene (Malachi 2:23). After this Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John in the Jordan River (Mk 1:5), he began to preach the gospel: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel (Mk 1:14- 15). "He is the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). The past and present, time and history, glory and power belong to him; but when he came to earth, he belonged to his own domain, but his people did not. Accept him; he was about thirty-three years old when he was crucified after suffering all the humiliation and pain of the world. On the third day after his death, he fulfilled what he said: He would rise from the dead on the third day (Mark 16:1-20). These testimonies have been remembered one by one by the disciples he called and passed down from generation to generation for two thousand years.
At the age of thirty, Jesus left the seclusion of Nazareth and came to the Jordan River to publicly preach the kingdom of God and his gospel. Many people began to accept his preaching and follow him to live a gospel life. He chose twelve of them to be apostles. After he rose from the dead, he consecrated (ordained) Peter as the Rock of the Church: “Simon, son of Jonah, you shall call Peter, the Rock, and on this Rock I will build my Church , the powers of Hades will never prevail against him (Mt 16:13-19)”, clearly announcing the establishment of the church. Under the pastoral care of the apostles with Peter as their head, the followers of the Lord gradually formed a visible small group. This small group later developed into the universal church, the one, most holy, most catholic, apostolic Roman Catholic Church. This is a historical fact that can never be denied by anyone.
The church evangelizes the world based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, spreads God’s love to the world, strives to sanctify souls, benefit society, and preserve all the teachings of Christ. The Church has never changed, added to, or deleted the Ten Commandments and the Seven Sacraments ordained by God Himself.
Protestantism (what China calls Christianity) is a church that separated from Roman Catholicism in 1517.
At the beginning of the 16th century, there were more than 400 countries in Europe, including Politics were extremely complex and religious life was rather low. At that time, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome was under construction, and the cost was huge and could not be raised at the moment. Pope Leo X sent people to various places to collect donations and granted several indulgences to those who enthusiastically donated. It is not illegal to grant amnesty, but the person responsible for soliciting money may be too concerned with money, which has aroused the resentment of many people. In 1511, Father Martin Luther of the Augustinian Order of the German Catholic Church went to Rome and witnessed the luxurious life of the Holy See, and he became determined to reform the church. However, he had no intention of "starting over again." It was actually the subsequent amnesty incident that triggered his reform of the church. On October 31, 1517 AD, he posted 95 articles in the Wittenberg Church in Germany, expressing his beliefs and launching a vigorous wave of religious reform. Unfortunately, this trend has intensified to include the fundamental tenets of the Church. Unable to convince him, the Pope issued an edict on June 15, 1520, giving him 60 days to withdraw the dispute, otherwise he would be excommunicated. Luther burned the edict in public to show his outrage. On January 3, 1521, the Pope deprived him of his membership. Since then, the newly born Protestantism has split from the Catholic Church, and it has not yet reached full integration until now.
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Four Dharma seals are the four seals that reveal the truth of all Dharmas and can be regarded as the four distinctive Dharma doors of Buddhism. Namely: the seal of impermanence of all actions, the seal of suffering of all actions, the seal of selflessness of all dharma, and the seal of Nirvana and cessation.
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